Combs, singer settle suit

A lawsuit by singer Cassie containing allegations of beatings and abuse by music producer Sean (Diddy) Combs has been settled, the artists announced Friday, one day after the lawsuit was filed.

The settlement was announced in a statement sent by attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura.

The statement said they had reached a deal “to their mutual satisfaction” Friday evening, but no terms of the agreement were disclosed and no further statements would be issued beyond those made by Ventura, Combs and Wigdor in the email distributed by the lawyer.

In her statement, Ventura said: “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

Combs said: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”

Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, on Thursday said that Combs “vehemently denies” the allegations.

The lawsuit alleged Combs brought the singer into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fuelled lifestyle” soon after she met him and signed to his label in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.

Ventura, now 37, said Combs, now 54, began a pattern of abuse as soon as their on-and-off relationship began in 2007.

The lawsuit alleged that, “prone to uncontrollable rage,” Combs subjected Ventura to “savage” beatings in which he punched, kicked and stomped her.

It alleges he plied her with drugs and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them.